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Choke

4/10

Stars: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald, Brad William Henke, Kathryn Alexander, Clark Gregg, Joel Grey, Heather Burns

Director: Clark Gregg

This quirky but boring comedy-drama about Victor, a sex addict (Rockwell), hardly succeeds in engaging us on any level.

Victor goes to an addiction clinic but, away from sessions, continues his bleakly hedonistic lifestyle in between visiting his dying mother (Huston) and continuing his enervating work as a costumed 'historical tour' player.

Then he meets a pretty doctor (Macdonald) but can't have sex with her because, well, he's in love with her. And she reawakens his interest in finding out the identity of his biological father.

That's it and the film fails to involve us in its increasingly repetitive situations, notably Victor's staged choking episodes in restaurants. Huston has her moments, but the rest of the cast don't come across as real people, which they need to do, even in an absurdist entertainment such as this.

David Quinlan

USA 2008. UK Distributor: 20th Century Fox (Fox Searchlight). Colour by deluxe/Technicolor.
92 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 18.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 2, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 1.

Review date: 18 Nov 2008